The Person We Praise
“The Person We Praise”
Psalm 113:3
Over and over again we are exhorted to praise the name of the Lord. Exodus 20:7; Psalm 8:1; 29:2; 30:4; 34:4; 48:10; 66:4; 72:19; 100:4b; 145:2.
Why do we praise the name of the Lord? The name was used as the expression of the kind of person they were or would become. Thus, the name (or names) for God stand for His manifold nature. His names are simply descriptions of Himself and of His activities. The names for God are, in a real sense, one of His means of self-revelation. Let us look at some of the common names for God employed in the Word.
Elohim
It is Elohim who creates, by His spoken word, all that is. (Genesis 1:1) He says and it is done. He brings into being that which was not.
El Shaddai
The One who is mighty to completely nourish, satisfy, and supply us; all sufficient; God Almighty. (Genesis 35:11; 17:1)
Adonai
When referring to God, this name is almost always in the plural, and refers to God’s ownership and rulership of everything that is. Adonai suggests Lordship on His part, and stewardship and submission on our part. (Isaiah 6)
Jehovah
The word Jehovah comes from YHWH, the most commonly used designation for God in the Bible. It is derived from the verb translated “to be”. Exodus 3:14 – “I AM WHO I AM”. He is the ever-living One, the self-existing One, and is dependent on no one or nothing outside Himself. He is self-existing and self-sufficient.
All of the following names are connected with the name Jehovah and are also referred to as the compound names for God. Remember, we are studying them in the light of their significance to praise.
Jehovah-Jireh
We find this name for God in Genesis 22:14. The word for Jireh is one which means “to see”. Out of the breaking heart of Abraham comes the soft reply, “Son, God will provide.” God showed him a ram in the thicket. Abraham unbinds Isaac with delight and sacrifices the ram instead, crying out, “We will call the name of this place Jehovah-Jireh.” Thus the name Jehovah-Jireh means “the Lord provides.” The word “provide” is taken from two Latin words – pro meaning “first” or “before” and vide meaning “to see.” The two words together obviously mean “to see before.” So, we have in this compound name for God One who “sees to everything beforehand.” God has, in fact, stood at the beginning of history and has seen to the very end of history, and beyond; and He has seen to everything. Any need we will ever have is already met in Him. Praise Jehovah-Jireh!
Jehovah-Rophe
This name is in Exodus 15:26. The word rophe always means to heal, restore, or cure. Unlike the name Jehovah-Jireh which was given by Abraham, this one, Jehovah-Rophe, was given by God Himself. The scene is at Elim after the crisis at the bitter waters of Marah. God makes a promise to them: “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His eyes, if you pay attention to all His commands and keep all His decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord who heals you[Jehovah-Rophe].” God did not only promise to heal. He did better than that. He said, “Healing is what I am!” Praise Jehovah-Rophe!